


Then the Sky Will Seem More Blue

by Meldanya



Category: Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries
Genre: Angst, Gen, Knitting, Knitting Angst, World War II
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-17
Updated: 2016-09-17
Packaged: 2018-08-15 13:02:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 815
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8057404
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Meldanya/pseuds/Meldanya
Summary: During World War II, Dot and her family start a new project.





	Then the Sky Will Seem More Blue

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Whilenotwriting](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Whilenotwriting/gifts).



> This is a very late birthday fic for WhileNotWriting, as I missed your actual birthday!! But, here's some knitting angst for my favourite angst plotter, for your birthday month!

 

**1940**

The boys were sprawled across the floor, pouring over the map of Europe.

“So, Uncle Jack’s on some hidden intelligence base somewhere in England — _here_ ,” Johnny was telling little Hugh. “He can’t tell us where, but it’s probably somewhere in the south.”

Half-listening to this geography lesson, their mother was trying not to wake the sleeping baby on her lap, as she struggled for better access to her wool.

“And Aunt Phryne is in England some of the time, but most of the time she’s somewhere here.” Johnny’s fingers jabbed the map of Europe right in the centre. “Running extra secret spy missions right into the heart of enemy territory.”

“And Daddy?” Hughie asked.

“Now Dad’s ship is in the Mediterranean which is this big sea right here … last we heard he was right off the coast of a place called Orange in Allgeers. You should hear the navy stories that my mate Willie gets from his cousin who’s a midshipman. He says that--”

“Mama? Mama? Can you help me? It’s not working!”

Dot was distracted from the tales of Willie’s cousin by little Nellie’s distress over dropped stitches.

“Oh, sweetheart, I’ll fix that. You’ve done such a good job on this scarf,” Dot comforted, observing the two inches of shaky stitches her four-year-old had managed. “I’m sure Dr. Jane’s going to love it.”

“And then Willie said there were dead bodies floating _everywhere_.”

Dot just caught the end of Johnny’s gruesome tale. “Boys.”

Her oldest’s head snapped up. “Yes, mum!”

“Since we’ve so many parcels going out these days, it’s time that you two pitched in.”

“How?” Johnny regarded his mother warily.

“You’re both going to learn to knit socks.”

Johnny groaned. Hughie clapped his hands with excitement, until he noticed Johnny’s face, and then groaned as well. The boys dragged themselves over to the table where their sister sat.

“Now, for tonight, you’re going to learn how to cast on.”

Dot hoped Jack Robinson appreciated lumpy socks.

* * *

 

**1942**

“Mum, do you think Uncle Jack will get shore leave just like Dad will?”

“I don’t think so, Hughie,” answered Dot, muttering an automatic prayer under her breath for Hugh’s safe voyage to the Pacific.

“Intelligence officers don’t get shore leave, Hughie,” corrected Johnny. “We’re lucky to hear from Uncle Jack at all.”

“All he ever says is ‘Be good boys and thank you for the socks.’ I want spy stories!”

Dot sighed at the reappearance of this topic of conversation, and glanced apprehensively at the purple sweater that her daughter was weaving in the ends on.

“Hughie, keep knitting,” she instructed, and the room was filled with the clatter of needles.

After a few minutes, Hughie piped up again, “P’raps you can make Uncle Jack a black spy sweater, mum -- for him coming home to Australia for missions.”

“Perhaps after I’m done mending Janey’s clothes, dear.”

“Done! Mother, I’m done!” Nellie was proudly holding up the purple sweater that had taken her close to a year to complete. “Just need to block it and then it’s all set to go to Aunt Phryne!”

Johnny darted an anxious look towards his mother. Dot swallowed. “It’s a beautiful sweater, sweetheart.”

“Do you think she’ll like it?”

“I’m sure that … whenever she gets it … she’ll love it.”

“Will Aunt Phryne be coming home with Uncle Jack?” Hughie asked.

Johnny answered for his mother, “No, no she won’t.”

Dot focused on her mending.

* * *

**1944**

“Next, I’ll show you how to cast off.” Nell was teaching Janey how to finish her first project. Across the table, John was huddled over his school books. Hughie was finishing the washing-up while sneaking glances at his latest _Boy’s Life_.

In the corner, Dot was knitting a blue sweater.

“Hughie, did you see that Aunt Lola raved about your biscuits in her last letter?” Nell asked. “Guess this lot wasn’t burnt!”

“Hmph. I’ll be making another big batch once you get those stockings done for her. Better burnt biscuits than your lumpy ones.”

Nell ignored her brother and addressed her mother, “Anything you want to add for Aunt Lola’s parcel, mum?”

Dot shook her head and kept knitting.

The evening grew darker. Nell took Janey off to bed. Hughie finished the dishes and hauled himself and _Boy’s Life_ upstairs.

A little later, Johnny closed his books with a sigh, and set a mug of cocoa next to his mother before heading off to join his brother. “Don’t stay up too late, mum.”

It was the early hours of the morning by the time Dot finished. She folded the royal blue sweater carefully over her arm and took it upstairs.

At the back of her wardrobe, she knew there were two parcels, one with a purple sweater, one with a black, both returned labelled _Whereabouts unknown_.

Dot carefully placed the blue sweater in the wardrobe. Closing the door, she whispered, “Happy birthday, Hugh.”

 

 


End file.
